This Powerful Campaign Is Dismantling Latina Stereotypes

Feisty, sexy, curvy; these are just a few of the stereotypes Latinas are constantly boxed into. For decades Latinas have been hyper-sexualized and misconstrued in the media (spoiler alert: no shade, but we don’t all look like Sofia Vergara), but Orgullosa’s latest campaign is set out to dismantle these labels.

Orgullosa, a community built through Proctor and Gamble recently launched its #WeAreOrgullosa initiative, a campaign challenging the stereotypes placed upon Latinas while celebrating their unique beauty. To kick off the initiative Orgullosa enlisted Shadowhunters actress Emeraude Toubia, to host its launch event. There Orgullosa revealed the official campaign video, featuring beauty influencers Ada Rojas, Hiliana Devila, and Georgina Morillo.

Aside from the initial campaign video, each woman was also featured in her own docu-series where they spoke about topics like learning to embrace their natural hair, and what beauty means to them as a Latina. In one of the videos Morillo shares that she tried to fit in with the misconceptions of Latinas by “straightening her hair” and wearing three foundations that were lighter than her skin tone until she learned of her history. “Hey, [Latinas] come in black, they come in white. They come in all different colors. All different skin complexions.”

In addition to their video series Orgullosa also generated stock images of Latinas from all backgrounds, which are available to the public for free, via its website. This is a groundbreaking resource Orgullosa is providing, especially when women of color are still highly underrepresented in the media. Last year, a study from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found that only 28.3 percent of speaking roles in over 400 films and TV shows belonged to people of color, and Latinx made for only 5.8 percent of roles. And you can only imagine how much smaller those numbers will get if you subtract the male actors. Even magazine covers still have room for improvement when it comes to inclusivity; in 2016 only 29 percent of magazine covers featured a model of color.

Best of all, you can also get involved with this necessary initiative by using the hashtag #WeAreOrgullosa and sharing what Latina beauty means to you. Take a look at the empowering campaign video below, and get ready to be inspired.

Chantel is a writer and editor currently based in NYC. She is a proud Latina of Domincan and Puerto Rican descent and has a passion for creating quality beauty and lifestyle content. She’s previously held positions at Latina, Cosmo for Latinas, and Allure. When she’s not binging on the latest Netflix series, you can find...